It was gone another week which I’m home. It may be nothing unusual, but the current situation has thwarted everyone’s plans. The smaller and larger ones. I’m sure yours too. Now there is a bank holiday weekend in Ireland, in Poland we call this weekend a “Majówka” (May Day) and it is a time for us to celebrate a national holiday – the establishment of the first constitution in Europe.

Originally it was supposed to be my last month in Ireland, and instead I have online classes that I do from the comfort of my room. But today it will be a little bit about my learning progress, which I have made or not. But you’ll see that in the next few lines. Enjoy reading!

I remember learning the basics of HTML coding in junior high school and high school, it was great fun, but I admit it was quite tedious. The best moment was when you refreshed the page and saw the change, the worst was when everything was the same. Then you had to find a mistake, and preferably you’d erase everything and write again. It was similar this year, thanks to these activities, I remembered how hard and easy it is to create a website.

This semester, or more precisely the work on the weekly fast made me aware of something that is known to all those working on the Internet – regularity, if you don’t make it, you can forget about “success” in any field, especially in the social media.

During these months in Ireland I have learned how important it is to navigate the website because I often get lost on other people’s blogs and now I know how to avoid others getting lost in my. And a word on the subject – if you want to create something, try to make it original and yours, don’t imitate others, just create – this is the greatest lesson I have learned. To keep trying to create something of your own and discover new inspirations, because they are everywhere. You just have to want to see them. What were you learning in last months?

Inspire! Don’t cope!

/Iwona

Hi, another week has passe. Another week with online classes. Who would expect that to happen to us in 2020? Not me and not you – I guess. Iny last online of Journalism and writing 2 we were speaking about Freelance Journalism. I can guess everyone’s heard this term.

We can associate this with own business, and it’s just as difficult as it’s for a company manager. Ans at the biggining, I think this is more difficult. Because a young journalist must dare to send his article to the magazine. There are huge nerves assosiated with this, for which not everyone is ready.

But what it is Freelance Journalism? This is work wht is produced by independent journalist who is not employed by any one media organisation. In last years we can observe a growth of freelancers – in 2016 the number of United Kingdom freelancers increased by 67% from 2000-2015.

But how can a young journalist start being a freelancer? In the beggining you need find your niche and your patch – something you know/intersting about – it could be a sport discipline, travel. Then when you find that thing you need get a mentor – person who help you in the beginning, someone who will be read your articule. And last advice – pitch wisely and thoughtfully.

This is the most important things what you should know about freelance journalism. Have you more question? Ask! Don’t worry!

/Iwona

When you see an advertisement you are focus on their strategy? When you are see this an image in this particular moment in this specific media receiver? Ussualy you are watching this and in specific time you will remember this product from the ad. Because that is what advertising is about. And in last week in the Marketing we are learning about understanding ad Media, their choises and about their advantages and disadvantages.

When we want focus on ad media we have many of choices:

• TV
• Radio
• Outdoor
• Internet
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Direct mail
• Alternative media

And this choices have a lot of minuses and pluses. For example TV advertisement is high reach, low cost per contact and high frequency potential but in this same time low recall, hogh cost per ad and greater clutter. But outdoot advert are accessible for local ads, ability to select key geographic areas large and spectacular and in this same time short exprosure time, brief message and cluttered travel routes.

Sometimes we have enough advertising. But can we get away from them? In the modern world this is impossible, because it is advertising that drives our world to a large extent. The economy. It is because of them that we make choices. They are an inseparable element in our lives. Nowadays advertisements are adapting to us. We’re flooded with them. And we cannot let anything happen. Sometimes it is enough to turn off the TV or turn on the incognito card in your browser, but the ad will always find us.

/Iwona

In last weeks I could observe how a social media was changed. In which way influencers were speaking to people by Instagram, YT or diffrent channels in the Net. Usually they give us a neutral, funny information but in this hard time for every one they used they connection with a lot of people to promote #stayathome. They were speaking and encourage people to listen the government and protect they live and family through stay at home and avoid peoples. They influence for thousands if not millions followers. I do not know if they know but they use a social marketing.

Social marketing is use all the time by non-profit organizations, goverments and a lot of differiental groups. We are watching a social campaigns in TV, a tabloids are close roads or listening a social advertisments in radio. We are meting with they all the time – sometimes with stronger or weaker influence on our mind. But sometimes it works. This information stay with us, and it is reborn in perfect time in our brain.

SOCIAL MARKETING – we cannot disregard it, because this have a power to change human habits.

/Iwona

If you want to write a good news story you need remember about The Five Ws + How without it your story will be uncomplete. But remember the news story shouldn’t follow that order. Usually people are more interesant about the WHO and the WHY than the where or the when. About it we are speaking in our last online class on Friday.

And one more thing, the strongest news should be at the top line of stories. Write in simple way.

/Iwona

Our live is like race. Who will be first – that will win. Maybe that why we want to know a lot of information in the shortest time? That why we stopped to read newspapers and start scroll the Internet. We spend a lot of time on Twitter, FB – because there we have condensed info.

If you want to write to social media you need know one the most important thing:

About it and other things about writing to the Online Media we were speaking on our last lecture from Writing for New Media.

The second important thing is make your text scannable. You can use for it:
1) bullet list,
2) graphics,
3) highlight keywords
4) write one idea in one paragraph
5) and etc.
You can ask why? What you usally read – long text without paragraphs or short with? I am prefer shorter with, and I think you too.

One more thing about writing – try to create everything with passion for yourself, and then for others.

/Iwona

Did you ever think if this pic/info is no real? If this really had happened? Did you sometimes think this could be fake news?

In our last lecture in Writing for New Media we were speaking about UGC – User Generated Content – and how we can verifying photos, videos and social posts.

In the Internet every day we can meet with a lot fake news, usually we do not recognize it, because we are only scroll fb,  insta, twitter – because we want take a lot of information in short time. But every information we need verification – in that world we live – especially if we sent something to other. 

And remember –  everything what we read or see we need to be sceptical for this.

/Iwona

Next week is behind me, I can’t believe it. The second post is wainting to publicate – today I want say something about Cyperbullying.

But first I want to talk about statistics of 31st December, 2019 about the World Internet Usage (link) shows that 58,7% of the population uses the net. In North America is the higher percentage (94,6,%) and the smallest is the Africa (39,3%).

Mostly cyberbullying victims are youth and children, that as many as 20-50% of young people have fallen victim to insults, ridicule on the Internet. Why often concern children? Because their do not understand difference between a joke and bullying. Mostly we hear “I’m just kidding” or “don’t take it serious”, but this still hurt others. And cyberbullying is easier than bullying (which remember our parents), because perpretator do not see the face other people, he/she do not see emotions. We can post few words, we have to not take a paint and writing this on wall. We press only enter. And few words or photo – will start to live own life in the Internet.

In the end, I have for you short film from UNICEF – this is one part of their anti-bullying campaing.

/Iwona

Writing this blog – sentences and words – is challenging for my because I’m always this person who you are – I’m a reader – but now I’m sitting at one’s desk and I try to write something about my life, about my university week, because this blog will be about things which I know from my college.

In this post I want focus on a quote which I heard in this week:

In this week on my two classes we were focus on interview. You know, preparation is important (getting to know the person, writing to down questions), we could try our power like a real journalist – we had done a small interview in our class with other students.
But we can have the best knowledge of how to interview someone, but without listening to others this all go to waste.
This is similar in life, if we don’t listening people we can’t make a friendship. That way, when you are speaking with somebody you are try focus on this, what he/she speak to you, not only about it, what you want say.

This is the secret of journalism. LISTENING PEOPLE.

I have for you challenge – try to listen – but real to listen, real to interest about life your friends, family and people around you. Only today. I thing this small thing change your thinking in some way. Maybe you start seeing something new. Maybe not. We will see.

Have a good day!

/Iwona